Love is Strange
by Emily Hoyt
Summary: COMPLETE: (I focused only on the holidays!) James and Lily's love has begun to blossom. But where will it lead and what will happen along the way? COMPLETE
1. Back to School

DISCLAIMER: I don't own any names in this story except those of Sirius' and Remus' girlfriends.  
  
Chapter1: Back at School  
  
"Happy to be back, Lil?" beamed a face hidden behind a mass if jet black hair.  
  
James Potter was sitting in the very empty compartment on the Hogwarts Express. It was empty except fot eh gorgeous red-head seated next to him. This young woman was his biggest crush in the world. Her name was Lily Evans.  
  
She had the most beautiful and shiny head of fiery red hair James had ever seen. It didn't have asingle flaw, and, as far as James was concerned, neither did she. Her eyes were almond shaped and a radiant emerald green which reflected the outside scenery.  
  
James was tall, muscular and handsome. He had a most untildy mangle of black hair and a pair of piercing chestnut brown eyes in which ever emotion coulb be read. They hid behind a set of round framed glasses.  
  
"Definitly." She had a melodious, clear, but still strong voice.  
  
As they neared Hogwarts, they quickly changed into their robes and continied cozying the rest of the way.  
  
"You two seem pretty cozy!" came a mocking voice from the doorway to the compartment and then a small giggle.  
  
"As do you, Padfoot!" James replied in an equally mocking voice.  
  
Standing in the doorway was one of James' best friends, Sirius Black, also known as Padfoot by close friends. With him was one of Lily's best friends, Jenny Jiggins.  
  
Then, as they all laughed, came another voice.  
  
"What's so funny?" This voice was a slight more serious. A voice like that could only mean one thing: Remus "Moony" Lupin and his girlfriend, Carrie. She was another of Lily's friends. Fun! They all piled in. They sat talking all the way to Hogwart. When they got there, they ate as quickly as possible so as to have the common room to themselves for a while. 


	2. Halloween

Chapter 2: Halloween  
  
The first two months of school past in a great, gray haze. Quidditch, lessons, and some pranks. Soon, the first Hogsmeade trip neared.  
  
As they sat, the decided that staying behind alone would be much more fun.  
  
And so it was!  
  
The day before Halloween, they organized their following day's plans. They were quite important, as they would occupy the whole day.  
  
Snatches of "First, we'll." and "After that." were the only conversation from the group.  
  
Finally the day had come. It was a fairly warm day. All the girls had on a top and skirt. Lily wore a white sleeveless turtleneck with a khaki green skirt. The guys had on a t-shirt and stonewashed jeans.  
  
They found the perfect place with a patch of green and soft grass. The only problem was the 10 f. in diameter mud puddle.  
  
They ate lunch: peanut butter and jam sandwiches which the conjured with their wands. They ate them with glasses of milk.  
  
Then, the fun. They played truth or dare meets spin the bottle. James spun and it landed on Lily. He was smiling. He was going to get Lily bad!  
  
"Lily, truth or dare?"  
  
"Truth," was Lily's reply. James smiled a little wider.  
  
"C'mon Lily. Please!" James had turned on his charm and it worked.  
  
"Fine, fine, dare." Lily was going to regret it.  
  
"Splendid. I dare you to french someone!" James was out for blood!  
  
The giggles and shrieks were deafening.  
  
"No! You can't be serious!!!"  
  
"No! I am!" Sirius had done it again.  
  
In unison, there came a chorus of "Shut up, Padfoot!"  
  
Lily had no choice. She had to do the dare. She considered doing it to someone else, to tease James, but considering the other candidates, she kissed James instead.  
  
Now, Lily had to spin. The look on his face was priceless when the bottle landed on him!  
  
"James.Truth or dare?" Lily was out for revenge.  
  
"Truth?"  
  
"C'mon, Jamsie, for me?" Lily was working it well because it did work.  
  
"Fine, dare." James was cowering slightly.  
  
"Splendid." Lily was smiling an evil grin. "I dare you to take a dip in the pond!"  
  
"Lily! No! Please! You can't! Please!" But his efforts were in vain.  
  
"A dare is a dare, James. In you go. As you are!" she added with excitement in her voice.  
  
He turned and jumped. When he popped up, he, on a whole, matched his eyes.  
  
"C'mon in you guys! It's great!"  
  
The girls sat giggling furiously at the edge, but stayed put. However, Sirius and Remus bombed. They got in and pretty much made mud people. It was James who broke the ice.  
  
"C'mon in girls. It feels terrific!"  
  
"No, that's quite alright, Jamsie. I like it right here where I am!" Lily was a little shaken, as well she should be.  
  
James stood and began to run out of the puddle. He was on the hunt. He started to chase Lily all over the nearby grounds.  
  
Lily ran round a tree, but James was quicker. He zigged the other way and caught her arm. She stood there trying to wriggle free.  
  
"JAMES! NO! PLEASE! DON'T! NO!" But it was useless. James yanked hard on her wrist and pulled her into a long hug and kiss. She broke free and revealed a tie-dyed brown, white and khaki colored outfit. She broke away from the hug, but not his grasp. He pulled her back and lifted her off her feet. Carrying her like a groom does a bride, he closed in on the picnic area.  
  
By this time, Sirius and Remus had succeeded with their girls as well, and, carrying them one way or another, the boys neared the pond with three screaming girls in their arms!  
  
"Guys?" James took lead. "On three?" The other two nodded. "One.two.three!"  
  
"NO!"  
  
Too late. Three girls were flying through the air and into the mud pit. They landed with a splat and the mud flew everywhere. The girls stood up, but as soon as they were straight in the thigh high mud, the boys flung themselves back in, knocking each of their girlfriends back into the mud and muck. They had a marvelous time, and, no matter how reluctantly they got in, they were all sorry to have to get out.  
  
They had the best Halloween any of them had ever experienced. 


	3. Christmas Break

A/N: Kindly note that none of the clothes are dry clean seeing as how they are put to use.  
  
Chapter 3: Christmas Break  
  
It seemed only yesterday that they six had made mud people, but it was already the 10th of December.  
  
That day, Lily received a letter by owl post from her parents.  
  
Dear Lily,  
  
We leave in two days for a trip. We won't be here this Christmas. You canstill come home if you would like. You can invite 6 friends if you like. We won't be back before you leave for school again.  
  
Love Mom.  
  
A grin spread over Lily's face. "you thinking what I'm thinking, guys?" He friends began to grin as well.  
  
"Party for 6 at my place!!!"  
  
Christmas break came and the 6 of them left Hogwarts. Once at Lily's they took of their coats and had a blast.  
  
Christmas was rather eventful. All three girls wore thight strapless dresses down to their knees with a fur trim at the bottom. The guys hooted and applauded in approval.  
  
As hostess, Lily thought of it all. She glassed in the pool are with windows so they could swim, she added a fireplace to the pool section, and hung mistletoe all over the place. She made chicken sandwiches and had plenty of drinks. They had awonderful lunch by the pool. The fire was cackling softly beside them. It was then that Lily made her move. She waved her wand, quietly said "Evanesco" and cleared the lunch leftovers.  
  
But, it was what happened next that was totally unexpected. She turned her heel and dove, head long, into the pool. She swam a few seconds and reappeared above water.  
  
"Lily, what in God's name do you think you're doing?" James asked, totally in shock with Lily's not herself action. She smiled, dived in and swam to him. He leaned towards the edge. She popped back up and planted a long kiss right on his lips. James was in shock and caught off guard, but still returned the kiss. He was so off guard that Lily had no trouble whatsoever pulling James in with her. When he rose again, he wasn't even mad. He just kept on kissing her.  
  
Carly and Jenny followed suit. The told Sirius and Remus to look up and they saw the mistletoe. The couples rose as they kissed. Then, without warning, Jenny and Carly, on whom Sirius and Remus placed most of the weight, allowed themselves to fall back into the pool as well. With split second timing, the swam out and Sirius and Remus lost their footing.  
  
They spent the rest of the afternoon in the pool, not caring about their wet clothes and enjoying each others company.  
  
The pool became a lasting ritual. Every morning, they raced each other to the pool and jumped in. They swam, got out and changed. Then they would eat lunch. After, they played a game of chess. Then. they jumped in again! And so it was every morning, noon and evening of every day.  
  
Then came New Year's Eve. They made supper ahead of time. A few crushed eggs and handfuls of spaggehti sauce later, they and the kitchen were a mess. Lily ran from the room and fetched a sponge, dish cloth, dish towel, broom (not to fly on!), mop and duster. Once assigned an object, they got to work. Remus swept and Carly mopped after him. Sirius wiped everything down with the sponge and Jenny dusted it afterwards. As for Lily and James, they did the dishes. Lily seized every opportunity to douse James with water from the nozzle.  
  
Later, naturally, they swam, changed and playe about 50 rounds of Clue. Remus won by 10 games to the second place, Lily. Obviously. They had the brains. When they finished, it neared 9:00p.m. The girls ran upstairs to change. They wore matching evening gowns of silver, gold and copper colors. Lily was in silver, which contrasted beautifully against her fiery red hair and vibrant green eyes. All three guys waited downstairs in full suits, ties and all.  
  
They ate a supper by candlelight. A meal fit for a king: a great spagetthi dish with a dessert of mint, breath freshening ice cream.  
  
Then, with a wave of her wand, Lily's living room vanished to reveal in its wake a large dance floor with beautiful music. They waltzed, salsaed, mamboed, cha-chaed and tangoed. Lily and James were terrific.  
  
Midnight struck. Each kissed their partner and sang a chorus of Auld Lang Syne along with Dick Clark of the television Lily conjured into the room to count down with.  
  
Then, with another wave, the dance floor, music and television disappeared and left 3 love seat sofas (two seater sofas), one per couple and they all sleeped in the living room.  
  
A few days later, Lily and James awoke to find that their friends had left them alone in the house while they went double dating. James and Lily spent the morning playing multiple games of chess. In the afternoon, the sun had come out and, through the glass paneling, Lily changed and decided to tan a little. However, she was unsuccessful. James kept asking her to come in and, being the hostess, she was forced to oblige. In the evening, they changed; Lily into a silk, cotton candy pink baby doll and James into his boxers and a grey button up shirt.  
  
They sat up until the others returned. Since it was the last day, they decided not to sleep that night. Instead, the girls wore jean skirts and colored cotton turtlenecks while the guys donned jeans and white cotton turtlenecks. Then, with a coat, they ran out and made snowmen and snow angels. James and Lily made the base, Sirius and Jenny, the middle and Remus and Carly, the head of the snowman. James with his charm couldn't resist the chance to add in, "An angel made by an angel!"  
  
Then, they returned inside and sat by the fire. Lily spoke up.  
  
"Favorite moment of the holiday break, guys?"  
  
Sirius-the snowmen, Jenny-the snowball fight, Remus-the double dating, Carly-New Year's Eve, Lily, blushing deeply-the day alone with James, and James-their eventful Christmas afternoon. Everyone laughed. They knew what he was talking about.  
  
"The way that dress clung." James was remembering the way she looked.  
  
"Well, the night-well, morning- is still young-well, early, we could go swimming again.  
  
"Sure! Great idea Lil!" Aparently, James liked that plan.  
  
"Well," Lily spoke up, "you brought it up, and I made the offer, so you boys go first."  
  
The three guys stood. James took off his glasses. Lily could see his eyes clearly now. After all, he only really needed them to see long distances. He could see fine right now without them.  
  
The guys jumped in, making a lot of water splash out of the pool. The girls were half soaked before they even got in.  
  
The girls circled the in-ground pool to where their guy was. Lily was last to jump in. then she rose from under water.  
  
She and James stared at each other for a minute. She was taken with how good he looked; his hair wet and out of his face and not covering his eyes one which there were no glasses and she could see the depth of them clearly. His shoulders were broad and his firm abs could be seen through his wet white shirt. She also felt a very firm bottom line through his second skin fitting jeans. James was staring at Lily. Whether wet of dry, her hair was still a right red which hung away from her beautiful face. He studied her for a moment. He had his hands around her hips. The skirt seemed to have shrunk making her her hips seem much firmer which he noticed as his hand slid down he back side. Through the wet clinging shirt, he could make out every single curve in her abs and chest. He thought that she was the most beautiful thing ever seen.  
  
They moved into each other and began to hug and kiss. The fell back wards. Then, they slowly stopped kissing and just sat in the corner, hugging, not at all bothered by the stated of their wet clothes. And so was their perfect Christmas 


	4. Happy Valetine's Day

I cried writing this chapter. Something I usually reserve of J.K's Harry Potter stories. Keep informed. This isn't the last chapter.  
  
Chapter 4: Happy Valentine's Day  
  
"Hello, Lily. Say, are you going to Hogsmeade?" James was sounding different today. Maybe he wasn't feeling well.  
  
"Not really. Why? What? Another picnic?" she asked with quite a happy tone in her voice at the thought of lunch wither friends on Valentine's Day.  
  
"Only if you want to," James was looking different. Perhaps because he was still in pajamas.  
  
"Sure. I'll go get dress and I'll meet you at the mud puddle. Be right there!" she called over her shoulder as she turned to head up to her dorm and change.  
  
Lily came down to the entrance. She walked outside and turned to head and meet James and company.  
  
She was wearing and looking her best. She wore a peacock green bustier (tube top), a short white denim skirt and black-heeled pumps. Hey, Valentine's Day. Got to look good.  
  
She arrived and turned the corner and nearly fainted.  
  
James stood, tall and buff, in a midnight blue polo shirt, black Bermuda shorts, and his dressy school shoes.  
  
She then looked around. No one else was there. The picnic was only set for two. There were fresh pink and red roses, a beautiful fettuccini alfredo dish for each of them, polished cutlery and everything. Even more so, it was on a small table top like at a Parisian café.  
  
James walked over to Lily and hooked his arm. She accepted, hooked her arm and let him lead her to her place. He pulled out her chair and sat her down, placing her napkin on her lap for her.  
  
He sat down and they began to talk about anything you could think of. James was gazing at her beauty. After lunch, James reached down and pulled out a slice of cheesecake. Since he was holding her hand, he fed her piece of cheesecake and then took a bit himself.  
  
"I made it myself. I snuck into the kitchen yesterday evening," he concluded, looking rather proud of himself. "Well, you certainly are a great cook." Lily was giggling again.  
  
James must have jinxed the puddle, because now it was a clear blue pond of water just for them. After the cake, they sat on the side with they feet in the cool water.  
  
Suddenly, James started to shake.  
  
"James, are you alright?" Lily was scared for him.  
  
"Lily, I got to tell you something. Please don't interrupt me."  
  
She nodded.  
  
"Lily, you know I love you. I've never, ever felt this way ever before. You make me so happy. I adore you. I love being around you. You make me feel as it we were the only people in the world.  
  
You're a wonderful and gorgeous woman, Lily. (Did he just say "woman"?) I've got no idea why you fell for me. I never knew I could feel like this. During your kissing Sirius in spin the bottle. I've never felt jealousy about Sirius kissing my other girlfriends during the game, until now. I've never felt anything about girls before I met you.  
  
Lily, I realized how much I loved you during the Christmas break. I saw you all day that last day of the break. You look absolutely stunning on New Year's Eve. Then, during the swim in the pool on our last evening, I'm not entirely sure how I was able to stop myself when I did."  
  
"James? I have to talk to you, too. I'm, also, not sure how I stopped myself. I've never cared for anyone like I care for you. I don't know how I couldn't have seen it earlier. But, now I know that I love you, now more than ever, with all my heart.  
  
Suddenly, she gasped at what he was doing. She saw him turn gently onto one knee. He looked into her watery eyes.  
  
"Lily, I know we're young and we have time, but I can't live without at least a promise of this eternal love."  
  
She was crying now.  
  
"James, are you asking me what I think you're asking me?"  
  
James reached into his pocket and pulled out a silver band with an emerald the color of her eyes in the middle of it.  
  
"If you think I'm asking you to become Mrs. James Potter, then yes, I am asking what you think I'm asking."  
  
She smiled a tear stained smile.  
  
"Lily Evans, please become Lily Potter. Lily, will you marry, me?"  
  
She cried violently for a few seconds.  
  
"Is that a yes?" James asked, a grin growing on his face, spreading from ear to ear.  
  
"Of course it's a yes! Yes! I would love to become Mrs. Lily Potter!"  
  
He pushed the ring onto her finger, kissed her tenderly and hugged her, her face buried in his shoulder crying from sheer delight.  
  
"I love you James! And know that I always will!"  
  
"As do I Lily!" 


	5. Easter at Evans'

Chapter 5: Easter at Evans'  
  
"What!?!"  
  
Everyone was back and, at the sight of Lily's new hand ornament, the interrogation began.  
  
"Well, we had lunch, and then, James purposed to me!"  
  
Lily had never looked happier. She simply couldn't stop smiling. She was going to marry James Potter.  
  
Her two friends were hugging her. They all began crying tears of joy.  
  
As for James, he had multiple congratulations flying at him from his two best friends. They were totally thrilled for him.  
  
Everyone noticed the change. Any time classes called for pairing, James and Lily were already sitting together. They we now joined at the hip.  
  
Soon, yet another holiday neared: another where you could go home for a week. Easter was around the corner. They knew that it would be another round of fun.  
  
Lily invited them home for the Easter break. They knew she had made more plans for them during the week's vacation. They awaited the departure anxiously. They looked forward to more fun and swimming.  
  
Then, it came: vacation. They all took the train home to Lily's.  
  
They got in the Evans residence. They said "hello" and went up stairs. Once their bags were brought into Lily's room and she vanished her bed and conjured 3 love seats, they sped down stairs and straight to the pool and dove in. Some things would just never change.  
  
Her mother walked over to the pool and stood still.  
  
"What is the meaning of this?" She didn't scream, just asked as softly as possible.  
  
"You see, mom, it started at Christmas. I, well, we girls fell in. We sorta slipped. The guys were kind enough to dive in to help us. Now it's kind of our thing." She just stayed smiling until her mom did, too, and left.  
  
"Phew!" was all James could say, but Lily just turned his head with her hand and began snogging with his again.  
  
Supper was rather quiet until Lily spoke up. "Mom?" She looked to James for reassurance. He held her hand tightly. "Mom, I have something to tell you."  
  
"What's that, dear?"  
  
"It's-ah-well, it's- Mom, your future son in law is having supper with us right now!"  
  
Her parents' forks fell.  
  
"Are you serious?"  
  
"You know, I would love if someone know I was me!" Padfoot cried.  
  
Lily held up her hand to reveal the silver ring with the shining emerald.  
  
Her father sat stalk still. Her mother, however, ran to her and hugged her for a moment. Lily wasn't sure if this was a good thing or a bad thing, until her mother spoke up.  
  
"Oh, honey. I'm so happy for you!" She then, in turn, pulled James into a large hug.  
  
"You take good care of her, Mt Potter."  
  
"Trust me, Mrs. Evans. I'd rather die than hurt Lily. Or let anyone else for that matter!" Lily was tearing again.  
  
"Well, dears, I hope you wait, but I give you my blessing!"  
  
"As do I!" her father spoke up at last. "Potter, take care of my girl. If you don't, I swear to you-"  
  
"Dad!" Lily smiled. She also blushed.  
  
They all spent their last day in the pool. Lily and James were the most comfortable. The others were too, just not as much.  
  
Finally, the day came to leave.  
  
Back at school, preparations for the tests kept them all very busy. By the time their graduation came around, they had sent out all the wedding invitations. The gowns were ready and all the plans were made.  
  
So it was. Lily and James joined together in Holy Matrimony 2 weeks after school ended. By then, they had both turned 19. They had a beautiful wedding, a gorgeous reception and they rode off into the sunset on James' broom. Life was perfect! 


End file.
